


The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and SSA Aaron Hotchner

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-09
Updated: 2014-10-09
Packaged: 2018-02-20 11:20:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2426843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hotch felt shortchanged. He just didn’t know what to do about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and SSA Aaron Hotchner

**Author's Note:**

> Written for **Emily Prentiss Appreciation Day**. I used the prompt one last chance but it turned out to be more than a drabble.

He sat and watched from the protection of his office.He watched her laugh with her teammates, watched relationships grow between them.Derek was the sometimes obnoxious but protective older brother and Spencer, the smart, sensitive younger one.JJ and Garcia were sisters holding the place of the one too many miles away.He watched Rossi flirt, but flirt was his default position.Prentiss would give as good as she got and they would all share a laugh.

 

The ocean of distance just seemed to grow between him and her.Why couldn’t he get the gentle touches she gave Reid or the witty repartee she and Morgan shared?She damn sure never flirted with him, probably found that behavior inappropriate.In the field, they were always in sync.They needed to be but it wasn’t just that.Prentiss was smart, efficient, strong, and ready when needed.Hotch never worried that she didn’t have his back or the backs of everyone on their team.

 

When the Kevlar came off, the dry erase boards wiped clean, and the crime scene photos placed in a box, they were miles apart again.He was her Unit Chief, surely some of it was propriety but Hotch noticed it was more pronounced since his wife left him.He never got the twinkle in her eye or the sexy ‘wouldn’t you like to know’ grin.Hotch felt shortchanged.He just didn’t know what to do about it.

 

Out in the bullpen, he could hear their voices slowing down, lowering.It was almost time to go.Tomorrow was Friday and there was a three-day weekend coming.Most were taking half days, using the opportunity to rest and refresh.By next Wednesday or Thursday, they would be in another city chasing monsters.

 

Derek was going to Chicago to be with his family.Rossi would head to the woods with his dog, some books, and a fishing pole.Reid was meeting college friends in Manhattan for a weekend of memories.He didn’t know what JJ or Garcia were doing but they probably had plans.Prentiss hadn't mentioned her plans, at least not to him.Hotch wondered if she would be with one of her parents.

 

Perhaps she would travel to her sister’s house in Westport, CT for a barbecue and pool party.OK, it was a bad idea to imagine her in swimwear.A damn good bad idea.Was she a one piece or a two-piece kinda girl?Definitely a two-piece but nothing too provocative.Emily Prentiss managed to be modest without being prudish.Hotch needed to get out of his chair; he needed to get out there before she was gone.

 

This might be his last chance.A woman like her would not be alone for long.He knew Emily’s nature; she would put everything into love just as she did with work.Once her train left the station, it would be too late.He got up, walked out of his office, and leaned on the railing.

 

“Goodnight, Hotch.”

 

Morgan, Garcia, and Reid were heading to the elevator laughing about something.It amazed him; all the horror they witnessed and they could still find laughter.

 

“Goodnight.”

 

“Hold that elevator!” Dave Rossi rushed out of his office, sports jacket hanging on one arm.“Night Hotch.”

 

“What's the rush?”

 

“I'm late.I hate being late…she really hates when I'm late.”

 

“Right,” Hotch gave a small nod and smile.“Have a good night.”

 

Then there were two.Whatever Emily worked on at her computer engrossed her.He thought for a moment it might be solitaire but she could play that at home.The bullpen was all but deserted…many wanted to start their vacation early.Summer was almost here and weary, overworked FBI agents wanted to be anywhere but Quantico.Except for Emily Prentiss, who seemed to like her desk.

 

“Is JJ still here?” Hotch asked to make conversation.

 

“No.” Emily looked up from her screen.“She left about 20 minutes ago.Taunts of a hot date were neither confirmed nor denied.You have the funniest look on your face, Hotch.Why?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Why?” Emily repeated.

 

“Why what?”

 

“Why do you have that funny look on your face?”

 

“I can't see my face.How would I know why it’s funny?”

 

Emily let out a little squeak of a laugh.It pulled Hotch’s belly and though it took a while, a full grin lit his features.

 

“Wow, Aaron Hotchner made a funny.You should do that more often.”

 

“What are you still doing here?”

 

“Finishing up.”

 

Emily started shutting things down.Hotch watched her straighten up her desk.She was not OCD but neatness and order were important to her.Reid’s desk was neater and Morgan’s was cause for a conversation sometime in the near future.

 

“Prentiss?” he meant to call her first name but when he opened his mouth that was what came out.

 

“Yeah?” her purse was on her shoulder; she was ready to go.

 

“Would you like to have a drink with me?We could talk.”

 

“About what?” she approached his perch where he watched the bullpen.

 

“Anything you want.”

 

“The top five reasons historians give for the fall of the Ottoman Empire?” Emily asked.

 

“Yes.”

 

“1980s supermodels?”

 

“If that suits you.”

 

“Hitchcock and Cukor films?”

 

“Absolutely.”

 

“ _Sex in the City_ plotlines?”

 

“Well um, you could talk and I would listen.I am a good listener.”

 

Emily smiled, brushing hair behind her ear.

 

“Now?” she asked.

 

“There is this great hole in the wall near AmericanUniversity…”

 

“Gracie’s.”

 

“You know it?”

 

“I do, and I would love to have a drink and talk.What took you so long?”

 

“I'm sorry?”

 

“Nevermind; maybe we’ll talk about that.”

 

“Will you meet me there in a half hour?” Hotch asked.

 

Emily nodded, turning to walk to the elevator.Hotch did his best to wipe the grin from his face but it was difficult.He needed to calm down.It was just drinks and appetizers, not a date.Well it could be a date if they both wanted that.There wasn’t much time to think about it; he had to meet her at the restaurant.Hotch gave Emily a head start…chasing her was part of the fun.He planned to catch her because he always succeeded when he put his mind to something.The focus on Aaron Hotchner’s mind was Emily Prentiss for as long as he could remember.

 

***

                                                                                                                    


End file.
